


Now We're Swimming Deeper

by GoddessTiera



Series: Five times Grimm was there for Nova, and one time he wasn't. [2]
Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:33:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27941567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessTiera/pseuds/GoddessTiera
Summary: Nova needs a shoulder to cry on.
Relationships: Female Captain/Grimm (The Outer Worlds)
Series: Five times Grimm was there for Nova, and one time he wasn't. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995784
Kudos: 3





	Now We're Swimming Deeper

**Author's Note:**

> Part two of this ship but functions as a standalone.

“Hey Nova, Parvati said you were….,” 

Grimm fell off as his eyes fell onto Nova. She was sitting on a rock just outside town. She lifted her head at her name, tears streaking down her face.

There was no hesitation, he rushed to her side, pulling her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her. It might have been a bit forward of him, but she leaned into his embrace and buried her head into his shoulder as her body shook from her sobs. 

He held her in silence, his hand rubbing soothing circles on her back as she cried herself out. After several minutes her sobs became sniffles and her breathing began to even out as she slowly regained her composure. Eventually, she leaned back and away from him, wiping at her face with her sleeve. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, the corner of her mouth just barely turned up in a gentle smile.

Breaking down in front of someone wasn’t something she did and she was grateful it was Grimm that had found her like that. She deeply appreciated the way he knew just what she needed. No words, just the security of being held while she fell apart.

“You ok now?” he said softly, his genuine concern for her giving her a belly full of butterflies. No one had ever looked at her the way he was right now. It left her feeling something she wasn’t familiar with and she dropped her eyes to stare at her hands.

“Not really, but I feel better,” she replied. He placed his hand gently under her chin and lifted her face to look at him again.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” he asked.

She didn’t respond immediately, debating if she was ready to open up to him. She could tell that if she said no he wouldn’t push her and she’d really only known him a short while technically but they had messaged back and forth so much in that time he wasn’t really a stranger anymore. Somewhere along the way, he had earned her friendship and trust. 

She shifted her position so they were now sitting side by side, failing to notice Grimm’s disappointment at the loss, and turned her head up to stare at the stars. “You were born here right?” she asked, turning back to look at him.

“Yup,” he replied, smiling wide at her, “My parents’ one and only. Although my Pops joked that it wasn’t for lack of trying,” he added, wiggling his eyebrows at her and she couldn’t help but laugh. It was one of her favorite things about him. He had a talent for making her laugh. 

"That's my favorite sound in the whole galaxy." 

She blushed against her will and bumped her shoulder against his. “Be serious.”

“I am.” 

She was too afraid to look over at him but she could hear how true his words were, causing another flutter from those damn butterflies. Instead, she turned her attention back to the night sky.

“You’ve seen these same stars your whole life, but I don’t recognize this sky. Every constellation I know is absent. Is it stupid to miss them?”

“I don’t think it’s stupid to miss anything you left behind.”

“That’s the thing though. I didn’t really leave a lot behind. I thought I was okay with never seeing Earth again but I had a moment earlier tonight when I got turned around and looked up at the stars to orient myself and it hit me that what I was looking for wasn’t there.”

“Tell me about your life on Earth.”

She hesitated as she hadn't spoken about Earth to anyone since waking up, but he had already seen her cry, what was a little backstory gonna hurt.

“Not much to tell really. This may surprise you but I didn’t live an exciting life on Earth. We were poor so my parents worked all the time and when they weren’t working they were sleeping. I mostly raised myself.” 

She stopped and sighed heavily. She hadn’t opened up to anyone like this before and she was grateful that he was being so patient with her. Being vulnerable with someone was hard but she felt safe with Grimm.

“They loved me, don’t get me wrong, but I rarely saw them and I was the one doing most of the cooking, cleaning, and grocery shopping by the time I was, 10, I guess? They died when I was 18, accident at the factory they worked at, and then suddenly in the middle of my grief I had to find a job because I had to pay the bills and not starve to death.”

“Doesn’t sound so different than here. What about friends?”

“I had a few but we weren’t close. It wasn’t that I wasn’t well liked or anything, I could charm just about anyone including teachers, I just never let anyone really get to know me. I dated here and there but it never really went anywhere. I didn’t have time for much of a social life anyway.” She shrugged and picked absentmindedly at a loose thread before continuing. 

“Once school was out for summer, I guess I had time but I usually spent it reading anything and everything I could get my hands on. The library was free and free was good. It was also a nice escape from my life for a while you know? That’s why I have an endless pool of random knowledge and skills. It’s the place where I fell in love with space. I jumped at the opportunity to be on The Hope.”

“Do you ever regret it?” he asked, his voice soft and low.

She turned to him and found him watching her with an expression she couldn’t read on his face. Was he worried she regretted it because that meant regretting meeting him?

She turned back away from him, but lay her head down on his shoulder in silent reassurance.

“Sometimes I miss the burgers from the place down the street and dogs, oh and the music. Earth has some really great music, but I don’t regret it. Not really.”

She slipped her hand into his and interlaced their fingers. “I found a lot more than I gave up.” This time he was the one to blush.

They sat quietly, just enjoying the peaceful moment and each other's company. Grimm, feeling bold, turned his head, intending to kiss her hair at the same moment she lifted up to speak and their lips met somewhere in the middle. They pulled apart almost instantly, staring wide eyed at each other. 

Slowly he leaned down again, just close enough for their noses to touch. He was giving her a chance to say no, but she quickly closed the distance and pressed her lips to his.

He twisted to face her, the hand not linked with her’s lifting to cup her face, his thumb gently stroking her cheek.

A wave of happiness washed over her suddenly, her previous melancholy forgotten. She had been kissed before, many times, but no one had ever made her tingle down to her toes before. It was soft and slow and perfect.

Eventually they needed to come up for air and reluctantly pulled apart.

“Wow,” said Grimm, pressing his forehead to hers.

“Yeah,” agreed Nova, her face flush and her pulse racing.

At some point, the wind had begun to pick up, the cool night air causing Nova to shiver.

“Are you cold? Here..” He released her hand and slipped off his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders.

“Now you are gonna be cold,” she pointed out while sliding her arms into the sleeves.

“Nah, I’m actually a little on the warm side at the moment,” he replied, his cheeks reddening slightly. She giggled at how adorable he looked before launching herself into his arms and kissing him again.


End file.
